- Name
- Enes Kanter
- Position
- Forward
- Class
- FR
- Hometown (Last School)
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Ht
- 6'10"
- Wt
- 235
- Seasons
- 2010-11
- Birthday
- May 20, 1992
Enes Kanter was born on May 20, 1992, in Zürich, Switzerland to Mehmet and Gülsüm Kanter as Enes Kanter. Kanter’s parents are Turkish. His father, Mehmet Kanter, received his M.D. from the University of Zurich. The family then returned to Turkey, where Kanter grew up. Mehmet Kanter became a professor of histology and genetics at Trakya University. Kanter’s mother, Gülsüm Kanter, is a nurse.
Starting in second grade, Kanter attended Hizmet-affiliated schools, part of the Gülen movement in Turkey. He lived in Ankara and then moved to Istanbul to play professional basketball as a teen.
At the age of 17, Kanter moved to the United States to play basketball. He attended Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, and then Mountain State Academy in Beckley, West Virginia; neither school allowed him to play high school basketball because of his contract with Nike while he played basketball professionally. Kanter then attended Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, California, where he was able to play basketball for a season.
At the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, Kanter played for the international team, recording 34 points and 13 rebounds.[12] His point total was a record for the event, breaking Dirk Nowitzki’s record set in the 1998 game.[12] Both Rivals.com and Scout.com (now known as 247Sports.com) rated Kanter as a five-star prospect, the highest possible rating.[14][15]
On November 23, 2009, Kanter verbally committed to play for the Washington Huskies. Kanter chose Washington over UCLA, USC, Indiana, and UNLV. However, he re-opened his recruitment in February 2010, and on April 14, Kanter signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Kentucky.
However, despite signing with the Kentucky Wildcats, the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible as a collegiate athlete because he received approximately $33,000 from Fenerbahçe in excess benefits. The NCAA ruled that this amount was above and beyond what was considered acceptable.
On January 7, 2011, the NCAA rejected Kentucky’s appeal, upholding that Kanter was permanently ineligible.
Kanter, a center, was drafted third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA draft.
